21 Best Graphic Novels for Fans of Raina Telgemeier

Inside: Our pick of 21 awesome read alike graphic novels for fans of Raina Telgemeier.

Raina Telgemeier’s Smile and Sisters were the two titles that first turned both of my girls into fans of graphic novels. They then devoured Drama, and later Ghosts, as well as all of Telgemeier’s contributions to The Baby-Sitters Club graphic novel series,and we were first in line when Telgemeier’s most recent memoir, Guts, hit bookstore shelves.

Raina Telgemeier books

Haven’t read Smile or Guts yet? Check out all of the Raina Telgemeier titles here:  Amazon | The Book Depository.

These are stories full of heart and hope, with characters and situations that are so relatable for middle grade kids. Telgemeier shares the joys, challenges and anxieties of daily life with a touching but lighthearted style, exploring themes related to family, friendship and school life. Her artwork is expressive and fun, with the comic strip style of her graphic novels engaging readers across a broad range of reading levels.

These are books that librarians struggle to keep on library bookshelves and that are sure to be read over and over again by their pre-teen readers while they wait for Raina’s next book release!

But there’s no reason for your tween to stop reading while they wait. We’ve collected together 21 great graphic novel readalikes that are sure to be a hit with fans of Raina Telgemeier right here!

Read alikes: 21 Graphic Novels for Raina Telgemeier fans

21 Great Graphic Novels for Fans of Raina Telgemeier

Each book included on our list is linked to both an Amazon and/or Book Depository online store page – these are affiliate links and I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Giants Beware! (book 1 of the series) by Jorge Aguirre Giants Beware graphic novel
Claudette is determined to defeat the giants she hears of in the village storyteller’s tales. She recruits her best friend, Marie (a princess in training), and her little brother, Gaston (an aspiring chef) to join her quest to defeat the savage giants. This is a fun and adventurous book that breaks gender stereotypes and embraces diversity, inspiring readers to face their fears and use not just bravery, but also wit and intelligence, to achieve their goals. Age 7+ years.
Available: Amazon  |  The Book Depository
See more of the series:  Amazon | The Book Depository
Karen’s Witch (book 1 of The Baby-Sitter’s Club Little Sister series) by Ann M. Martin Karen's Witch
Karen Brewer lives next door to Mrs Porter, who wears long robes and has wild gray hair, and a black cat named Midnight. Karen isn’t supposed to spy on her neighbour but she’s determined to prove that Mrs Porter is a witch! Age 7+ years.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Find the rest of the series: Amazon | The Book Depository
Real Friends by Shannon Hale Real Friends
Real Friends is a semi-autobiographical story exploring the complex nature of playground politics among primary/elementary aged girls. It’s about making friends and losing them, about popularity and what lengths the girls will go to to be included in with the in crowd. Age 8+ years.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Grab the sequel, Best Friends:  Amazon | The Book Depository
Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson Roller Girl
Roller Girl has so much good stuff in it – it explores growing apart from childhood friends, finding new friends, standing up for yourself and others, the importance of positive role models, defining who you are as a person as you grow up, facing fear and surviving. Age 9+ years.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
To Dance by Siena Cherson Siegel To Dance
When she was six years old, a doctor told Siena’s mother that she would never dance because of her flat feet. Years later (as a young adult) she debuted with the New York City Ballet. A beautiful memoir about growing up to love dance, and the refuge a sport can become when facing life difficulties. Age 9+ years.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
El Deafo by Cece Bell El Deafo graphic novel
El Deafo is the fabulous, semi-autobiographical story of Cece as she adjusts to life as a deaf person. Cece is trying to find ways to cope as the only deaf student in her school – a job made especially difficult thanks to the giant hearing aid strapped to Cece’s chest! The story is funny, deeply honest and a fabulous lesson in learning to accept individual differences. Age 9+ years.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository

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Click! (book 1 of the series) by Kayla Miller Click graphic novel
Olive’s fifth grade class is having a talent show and all her friends have paired off with other kids for their act, leaving Olive on her own. Now Olive must find away to either fit in with her friends or find her own path.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Find the rest of the series: Amazon | The Book Depository
Kristy’s Great Idea (book 1 of The Baby-Sitters Club) by Ann M Martin The Baby Sitters Club graphic novel
The classic series of four best friends and their business -The Baby-Sitter’s Club – written by Ann M. Martin and re-imagined for a new generation in this fabulous graphic novel series featuring a series of best selling illustrators including Raina Telgemeier and Gale Galligan. Age 9+ years
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Find the rest of the series: Amazon | The Book Depository
Making Friends (book 1 of the series) by Kristen Gudsnuk Making Friends
Seventh grader Dany is having a tough time making friends in middle school until she finds a magic notebook. When she discovers that everything she draws becomes real – starting with the severed head of anime character Prince Neptune! – she decides to draw herself a new best friend. The hilarious results teach Dany an important lesson about making, and keeping, friends.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Nat Enough (book 1 of the series) by Maria Scriven Nat Enough: Best New Graphic Novels for Tweens
Natalie and Lily have always been best friends, until middle school. Now Lily has moved on to be friends with ‘the cool girls.’ Nat decides she will win back her old friend and along the way makes new friends who help her to see that she has many great gifts, and the power to decide who she spends time with. Age 9+ years.
Available: Amazon  |  The Book Depository
Stargazing by Jen Wang Stargazing graphic novel
Christine tries hard to be everything her parents want her to be – academic, musical, and serious. Moon is a bundle of contradictions – vegetarian, Buddhist, funny, loud, good at drawing, uncool but supremely confident. The two are unlikely friends and then become best friends. When Christine becomes jealous of Moon’s burgeoning popularity she makes a choice that just might sabotage their friendship forever.
Available: Amazon  |  The Book Depository
Stepping Stones by Lucy Knisley Stepping Stones
City kid Jen is struggling to adjust to her new step-family and her new family home… on a farm! It’s hard to get used to so many changes but Jen slowly finds her place in her new family in this relatable story about real childhood issues. Age 9+ years.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
New Kid by Jerry Craft New Kid graphic novel
Middle school is hard. Switching schools is hard. Imagine switching to a private middle school where you’re one of the very few black kids there. Jordan Banks is a seventh grader who dreams of going to art school, instead, he finds himself at the exclusive, private Riverdale Academy Day School. Jordan experiences prejudice and stereotyping from both kids and faculty in a funny, heartfelt exploration of racial issues suitable to children 9+ years.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Find out about the sequel to New Kid, Class Act, in our post: 20 Best New Graphic Novels for Tweens.

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Looking for a graphic novel that will make you laugh out loud? Be sure to check out our list of Funny Graphic Novels for Kids.

When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed When Stars are Scattered
Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in a refugee camp in Kenya. When Omar is given the opportunity to go to school, he hopes it could be the change for their future that the brothers need. Heartbreak and hope exist together in this wonderful biographical graphic novel about family and hope. Age 9+ years.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Sunny Side Up by Jennifer L Holm Sunny Side Up
Sunny Side Up is about the summer 10 year old Sunny is spent to stay with her grandfather in Florida – in a retirement community while her parents deal with her teenage brother’s substance abuse problem. It is so boring until Sunny strikes up a friendship with the gardener’s son, Buzz. Sunny and Buzz enjoy adventures together and Sunny learns that it’s often not good to keep secrets and that her brother’s struggles are not her fault. Age 10+ years.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Book 2, Swing It Sunny available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Book 3, Sunny Rolls the Dice available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Cub by Cynthia L Copeland Cub graphic novel 2020
Discovering she has a knack for writing, Cindy’s English teacher finds a local female reporter willing to show her what it is like to work as a journalist. Cindy learns a lot on her internship, discovering much about herself as well – like who she really wants to be friends with at school and the developing relationship with her first boyfriend, and set in the 70s, it includes lots of great references to female empowerment, environmentalism and other social reforms. Age 10+ years.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol Be Prepared
All Vera wants is to be like the other kids in her neighbourhood. Everyone she knows goes to summer camp each year. Vera’s single mother cannot afford to send her to the cool summer camps that the other kids from school attend, then one summer her mother agrees to send her to a cultural Russian summer camp. But this camp is not much fun at all and Vera finds herself learning self-acceptance and resilience, and an awful lot about true friendships. Age 10+ years.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova Awkward graphic novel
Awkward is a hilarious, thoughtful and heartfelt story about Penelope as she tries to find her place in a new school, making mistakes from the very first day. Shyness, bullying, social acceptance, competition, working together, friendship and day to day middle school survival are all important themes here. It offers a fabulous reminder to be open to others, even when they are completely different to you, because they may just be more similar than you realise. Age 10+ years
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Book 2, Brave available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Book 3, Crush available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Pie in the Sky by Remi Lai Pie in the Sky
Chinese brothers Jingwen and Yanghao move to Australia with their mother, and Jingwen feels like he’s landed on another planet. To distract himself he dreams of all the cakes he would make in the Pie in the Sky bakery his father had planned to open before he died unexpectedly. A wonderful graphic novel/chapter book hybrid exploring important issues related to immigration, language barriers, family and grief. Age 10+ years.
Available: Amazon  |  The Book Depository
Go With the Flow by Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann Go With the Flow new graphic novels 2020
A wonderful story of friendship, bullying, activism and periods. Three teens take the new girl under their wing after she gets her period at school. The four become close and realise how unfair it is that the sanitary supplies machine is never stocked, and it costs money, and they decide they want to try and change it. Age 11+ years.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository
Snapdragon by Kat Leyh Snapdragon graphic novel 2020
A magically unique story about friendship and family, and the importance of being kind, tolerant, loving and respectful. With a cast of wonderfully diverse characters, including Snapdragon who just doesn’t feel like she fits in, Jacks – who is called a witch by the townspeople but really just has a truly odd job, Lu – a transgender girl learning how to be herself, and a three legged puppy named Good Boy! Age 11+ years.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository

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Read alikes: Graphic Novels like Raina Telgemeier